Podcasts about cpms

Zedge removed banners from an app with 721 million installs — half as a joke, to be consistent in a refresh-rate test. Impressions fell 38%. Revenue went up 1%. Their North Star metric rose 1.77%. Then they ran it in reverse to make sure, and got the same result. Banners might genuinely be dead.Felix Braberg goes solo for an ad-monetization interview with Ignas Danielius, Head of Ad Monetization at Zedge (the personalization company behind the 721M-install, 4.7-rated wallpaper and ringtone app, plus Emojipedia, GuruShots, and the new Dataseats AI-training-data business). They cover how ad-mon has evolved (from painful waterfalls to bidding and, ironically, back to user-value-segmented waterfalls), why banners went from Zedge's main revenue driver to a stale unit (the format is functionally unchanged since the late '90s while interstitials and rewarded have been through a conversion arms race; 5-second refresh rates kill advertiser value; misclicks and unfixable redirects), and the experiment itself: a refresh-rate test (15/20/30 seconds) with a "for a laugh" variant that removed banners entirely — run from December 8 through January, spanning the best and worst ad-ops months, with the no-banner group outperforming control for the entire duration. Ignas explains the mechanism (advertisers bid on the user, and a fast-refreshing banner is the cheapest impression to "buy" them on — remove it and later-session interstitials, numbers four through six, see fill rates explode), why the first interstitial didn't change, why Google likely drove the biggest effect, the conditions under which other publishers can reproduce it (top networks, up to 15 bidders on interstitials, low latency, a full format mix — and frequency of use matters)The takeaway: "the banner always contributes" was a status quo nobody tested. Zedge tested it. It didn't hold.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Meet Ignas — ad monetization at Zedge05:15 How ad-mon evolved — and why waterfalls are back06:05 The banner's slow decline: a unit that never innovated09:55 5-second refreshes, misclicks & redirects — how banners kill themselves11:40 The experiment — refresh rates, and "for a laugh, remove it"14:50 The result — 38% fewer impressions, +1% revenue, +1.77% North Star17:10 Why it works — advertisers buy your user cheap on the banner21:40 Should you turn off banners? The checklist---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA

OTT advertising used to be too expensive for most contractors. Now the economics have changed. Rich Harshaw explains how streaming television can deliver targeted reach, meaningful frequency, better tracking, and stronger integration with your existing marketing. Learn what CPMs really mean, why premium inventory may be overpriced, and how to decide whether your company is ready for OTT right now.

Martha Redpath, a CNM turned burnout and boundaries coach, joins Augustine to talk about what happens when the people who hold space for everyone else run out of space for themselves. Martha traces her path from home birth CNM in Vermont to founder of Provider Space Coaching — a pivot that came out of her own reckoning with alcohol, burnout, and eventually grief after losing her husband.The conversation moves through the state of community-based midwifery today (closures, legal exposure, the pressure CPMs face that CNMs often don't), the martyrdom culture baked into midwifery training, and what it actually looks like to teach boundaries as a clinical skill rather than a personality trait. Martha and Augustine also get into nervous system regulation, the difference between CNM and CPM entry points into boundary-setting, and why the ability to disappoint people — kindly and clearly — might be the most underrated skill in this profession.Key TopicsMartha's path: nursing → home birth CNM in Vermont → 10 years in a small hospital birthing center → burnout, alcohol, and the pivot to coachingThe current landscape for community-based midwives: closures, lawsuits, board investigations, and the Texas trend of using public social media posts as testimony against midwivesHistorical spikes in home birth rates (Ricki Lake's documentary, the ACA, COVID) and where rates stand nowCNM vs. CPM pathways into professional boundary-setting — and why CPMs often enter the field less boundariedThe martyrdom/"lone cowboy" culture in community-based midwifery, and generational shifts around itMartha's coaching framework: strengths-based reflection across eight life domains, nervous system regulation, "tiny habits," and discomfort resilienceGrief as a parallel thread to birth work, following the loss of Martha's husbandThe value of one truly safe confidant ("marble jar friends") for midwives carrying constant on-call stressResources Mentioned:Martha's coaching practice: providerspacecoaching.com — sliding scale fees, one-off debrief calls, and a six-week burnout package built around The Big Life JournalStudent Midwife's Keepsake Journal — the HIPAA-appropriate documentation journal mentioned in the mid-episode ad, with space for 100 birth records and built-in compliance guidance

Has your Meta ads performance stalled? We can help you redesign your messaging and creatives for sustained growth. Talk to us at: https://www.tiereleven.com/apply Here's something growing brands don't realize until growth stalls: the messaging that built your business will eventually run out of steam, even while your offer keeps converting. So why does that happen, and what do you do about it?On today's show, I'm breaking down a real client case study: an eight-figure SaaS-powered lead generation and coaching business that's been stuck at a revenue plateau for nearly two years. We dig into why their original messaging saturated the market, how a growth diagnostic uncovered an entire untapped audience they'd been ignoring, and why the fix isn't adding new ad platforms.I'll walk you through the exact messaging extraction process we use to turn customer interviews, support calls, and event transcripts into content pillars that actually move the algorithm. If you're only running one or two creative angles right now, this episode shows you exactly what you're leaving on the table, and how to expand your market without blowing up your budget. In this episode:- Why proven ad messaging eventually stalls growth- How Meta's Andromeda algorithm builds individual funnels - The real reason CPMs rise and cost to acquire a customer flattens- Why creative diversification matters more than adding new ad platforms- How to uncover untapped audience segments through a growth diagnostic- The messaging extraction process for capturing authentic customer language- Customer support calls and live event interviews as creative gold mines- How to build a 10-variation content matrix around a single theme- Using hook rate, hold rate, and link click-through rate in creative testing- Why volume alone will not scale your Meta ads account- How top-of-funnel creative shows up in branded search and MER- Three questions to audit your creative strategy before your next briefMentioned in the Episode: Tier 11's Data Suite: https://www.tiereleven.com/what-we-do/data-suiteWicked Reports Attribution Software: https://www.wickedreports.com/ Jim Collins' Book, Good to Great: https://a.co/d/068eKQng Listen to This Episode on Your Favorite Podcast Channel:Follow and listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perpetual-traffic/id1022441491 Follow and listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/59lhtIWHw1XXsRmT5HBAuK Subscribe and watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@perpetual_traffic?sub_confirmation=1We Appreciate Your Support!Visit our website: https://perpetualtraffic.com/ Connect with Ralph Burns: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralphburns Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ralphhburns/ Hire Tier11 - https://www.tiereleven.com/apply-now Mentioned in this episode:https://perpetualtraffic.com/advertise-with-us/

Today in the business of podcasting:Oxford Road's Dan Granger argues that YouTube's decision to redefine how it counts views, a change Bumper's Dan Misener found inflates play counts by nearly double, is the jolt that proves podcasting needs cross-platform measurement standards it can actually trust.Former Adelicious leaders Andy Goldsmith and Craig Eastwood team with industry veteran Mike Wooller to launch Everywhere, a new media company built to unify creator commercial partnerships as audiences increasingly follow creators across platforms rather than staying on one.Earmax Media's Andy Maxwell makes the case that podcast advertisers chasing cheap reach and low CPMs are missing what makes the medium work, arguing that a tightly focused community, brand affinity, and strong creative deliver far more value than raw scale.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:Oxford Road's Dan Granger argues that YouTube's decision to redefine how it counts views, a change Bumper's Dan Misener found inflates play counts by nearly double, is the jolt that proves podcasting needs cross-platform measurement standards it can actually trust.Former Adelicious leaders Andy Goldsmith and Craig Eastwood team with industry veteran Mike Wooller to launch Everywhere, a new media company built to unify creator commercial partnerships as audiences increasingly follow creators across platforms rather than staying on one.Earmax Media's Andy Maxwell makes the case that podcast advertisers chasing cheap reach and low CPMs are missing what makes the medium work, arguing that a tightly focused community, brand affinity, and strong creative deliver far more value than raw scale.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-641&utm_medium=podcastTo Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signuppilothouse.coDTC Twitter has spent the last few months arguing about volume versus strategy. Aves from Pilothouse thinks both camps are answering the wrong question. Eric brings her back for an all killer no filler on creative coverage: what it means now, how she decides what to make next, and the system she spent her summer building.For anyone who briefs creative, buys media, or signs off on either.What you get:Why a thousand Grok ads in a month spikes CPMs and stops finding your audience, and why one precious video every two weeks fails for the opposite reason.The three layers of coverage that matter now: right people, right product, right angles. Sizes and placements should be second nature by now.Persona coverage past your bread and butter. If the answer is always "a woman in her twenties," you are not covering the audience you need in order to grow.Product coverage, the layer most teams skip. Cross-referencing which SKUs bring people in cheapest against which ones are most efficient to ship, then testing returning-customer-only products at top of funnel to find margin nobody was looking for.Diagnosing by problem rather than format. Heavy cart abandonment usually means a trust gap, which points to whitelisting first and conversion-friction statics behind it. Creator-handle delivery ran 70% more efficient than the same creative from the brand.Selling the cloud when the economy tightens. Aspirational is outperforming pure problem agitation right now.Hyper relevancy. The echo chambers have gotten small enough that a meme Aves sees every third video is one you've never heard of, so the ad has to match the exact font, the audio they've been hearing, even the camera angle. She ran "kinda chic" in ads without ever learning what it means.Nobody is watching. Most people are lurking, and most of them are half-watching from the toilet or a waiting room. Aves watched a woman scroll Instagram through the entire Odyssey.Creative is the new targeting, five years of everyone saying it, and the spaghetti metaphor that finally explains it.Landing pages as the insurance policy on all of it. Spend two thousand dollars on a t-shirt and it still looks bad wrinkled.Ad copy. Aves writes hers first, before any visual, and uses no AI for it. One emoji-only ad carried by copy alone did over six figures in a weekend.Who this is for: creative strategists, media buyers, and founders heading into Q4 wondering why more ads stopped working.What to steal: the product coverage audit, the cart-abandonment-means-trust diagnosis, and starting your brief with copy instead of a visual idea.Timestamps:00:03:00 Creative Volume vs. Strategy00:05:00 Building Better Creative Coverage00:10:00 Creative for Full-Funnel Performance00:20:00 Why Creative Is the New Targeting00:28:00 Why Ad Copy Matters More Than EverSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF641Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Adam Silverblatt, Head of Off-Platform Ad Sales & Strategy at Instacart and Andrew Lipsman, Independent Anlayst at Media, Ads & Commerce.This episode was recorded in Cannes France at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.Follow Adam on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-silverblatt-3741362Follow Instacart Ads online at: https://company.instacart.com/adsFollow Andrew on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lipsman-10b2162Adam & Andrew answer these questions:In this era of Retail Media 3.0, how is the network escaping the walled garden, and what is the strategic importance of retail media transitioning into a full-funnel, omnichannel commerce engine? For emerging and legacy brands listening, how does off-platform retail media structurally change the programmatic playbook? How does targeting a "logged-in" active Instacart shopper compare to buying legacy programmatic audiences? Why are brands so frustrated with traditional attribution reporting right now, and how does verifying incremental outcomes protect a brand from double-paying for the same shoppers?  Can you walk us through the recent McCormick case study, where leveraging off-platform programmatic targeting managed to cut CPMs by 25% with only a 7% audience overlap? What is the structural lesson there?How must RMNs adjust their data infrastructures to ensure their product catalogs are preferred and trusted by an autonomous AI agent? Are we finally at an inflection point where streaming and commerce are genuinely converging, and have you seen any brand executions recently that made it feel real?What makes grocery purchase data uniquely valuable off-platform, and are there campaign results that have surprised you with how well it translated?If you could issue a single "reality check" to a CPG Chief Media Officer or Head of Sales who wants to maximize the return on their data and media investments over the next 12 to 24 months, what is the single biggest blind spot they need to fix this quarter? CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj's Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

This week in the business of podcasting:SXSW will make podcasting a core pillar in 2027 with its first-ever four-day Podcast Festival, and Podcast Movement Evolutions returns to Austin that same week for two free days at the SKYBOX on 6th.Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster argues podcasting's real gap is the lack of a default, as dedicated hardware fades and 57% of Americans aged 12 to 34 now live in homes with no radio.Point-to-Point Marketing and Strategic Solutions Research announced the Podcast Study 2026, a listener research project on discovery, loyalty, and monetization that debuts at the Sounds Profitable Business Summit on September 14.YouTube is redefining the "view" as an "engaged view," a change that runs about 7% lower across 300,000 podcast episodes and could reshape CPMs and sponsorship math for video podcasts.To find links to these, and every article covered in this week's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

This week in the business of podcasting:SXSW will make podcasting a core pillar in 2027 with its first-ever four-day Podcast Festival, and Podcast Movement Evolutions returns to Austin that same week for two free days at the SKYBOX on 6th.Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster argues podcasting's real gap is the lack of a default, as dedicated hardware fades and 57% of Americans aged 12 to 34 now live in homes with no radio.Point-to-Point Marketing and Strategic Solutions Research announced the Podcast Study 2026, a listener research project on discovery, loyalty, and monetization that debuts at the Sounds Profitable Business Summit on September 14.YouTube is redefining the "view" as an "engaged view," a change that runs about 7% lower across 300,000 podcast episodes and could reshape CPMs and sponsorship math for video podcasts.To find links to these, and every article covered in this week's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:SXSW will make podcasting a core pillar in 2027 with its first-ever four-day Podcast Festival, and Podcast Movement Evolutions returns to Austin that same week for two free days at the SKYBOX on 6th.Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster argues podcasting's real gap is the lack of a default, as dedicated hardware fades and 57% of Americans aged 12 to 34 now live in homes with no radio.YouTube is redefining the "view" as an "engaged view," a shift that runs about 7% lower across 300,000 podcast episodes and could reshape CPMs and sponsorship math for video podcasts.Magellan AI released its first H1 2026 podcast advertising benchmarks for Ireland, showing 33% year-over-year spend growth, financial services on top, and a 5.71% average ad load.Flightpath shipped Automation Playbooks to fight unreliable ad delivery, responding to an ad-tech platform change it says threatens publishers with revenue losses of up to 50%.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:SXSW will make podcasting a core pillar in 2027 with its first-ever four-day Podcast Festival, and Podcast Movement Evolutions returns to Austin that same week for two free days at the SKYBOX on 6th.Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster argues podcasting's real gap is the lack of a default, as dedicated hardware fades and 57% of Americans aged 12 to 34 now live in homes with no radio.YouTube is redefining the "view" as an "engaged view," a shift that runs about 7% lower across 300,000 podcast episodes and could reshape CPMs and sponsorship math for video podcasts.Magellan AI released its first H1 2026 podcast advertising benchmarks for Ireland, showing 33% year-over-year spend growth, financial services on top, and a 5.71% average ad load.Flightpath shipped Automation Playbooks to fight unreliable ad delivery, responding to an ad-tech platform change it says threatens publishers with revenue losses of up to 50%.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Review Radar 12 is where we revisit the games we've covered and find out who lived and who died. This time, the joke's on us: nearly everything came back scaling up. Felix kept reaching for the stick to poke dead games, and Jakub kept insisting they're all still breathing — and mostly, he was right.The lesson that keeps repeating: hard work pays off, revenue and DAU often tell opposite stories once D2C is involved, and "dead" is a lot rarer than a declining revenue chart makes it look.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Review Radar #12 — the time-machine begins02:00 Arrows & Forge Master — Lesmore is on a heater06:45 Pixel Flow stabilizes — the "this won't hold" call08:15 Cozy games, Sand Loop & the Voodoo learnings11:35 Finch — the D2C monster hiding in a wellness app16:55 Gacha RPGs, Angry Birds Rush & the death pile22:45 Yarn Loop vs Jelly Buster — the sort race heats up24:55 Castle Clashers plateaus & ButcherHero's winning 2.0--------------------------------------This episode is brought to you by Potensus — a premium ad network built by people who've been on both sides of the industry, with direct (non-programmatic) deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, and Vodafone landing in your game at premium CPMs, plus a Playable Maker partnership that turns brand videos and statics into native gaming playables and rewarded formats. Head to potensus.com to get started. https://potensus.com/This episode is brought to you by Kinoa — the AI operating system for mobile game operations: flows, live segments, in-app messages, push notifications, and A/B testing in one place, run by the operators who own the numbers. Carry1st saw +43% ARPDAU; PlayStudios saw +31% revenue on Tetris Block Party. Learn more at Kinoa.http://www.kinoa.ai?utm_source=MatejPodcast&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=Matej+Podcast&utm_id=100--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Althea Hrdlichka opened a birth center in Colorado in 2020 — a state where CPMs were not legally allowed to practice in birth centers. She then changed the law. She opened a second location in 2026. She has attended over 1,000 births and she's far from done.In this episode Augustine sits down with Althea for one of the most unfiltered conversations this podcast has had about what it actually takes to build midwifery infrastructure in a hostile system — the legislation, the license battles, the EMS protocols that she believes are being used deliberately against out-of-hospital providers, the rivals who tried to bring her down, and the moment she almost didn't keep going.And why she kept going anyway.In this episode:Four births that led her to midwifery — and the one that changed everythingOpening a birth center she couldn't legally practice in — and changing the lawA two-year license battle, $70,000 out of pocket, and what pulled her back from the edgeThe EMS "stay and stabilize" protocol and what it means for out-of-hospital birthWhy she pays herself zero and what her sustainability plan actually looks likeThe homegrown midwife model — and why it's the only one that worksWhat midwives eating each other is costing the profession• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MidwiferyWisdom • Birth Center Incubator: https://www.skool.com/birth-center-incubator-4343/about • Guest Contact: https://tendergiftsmidwiferyandbirthcenter.com/about-us/

The most freeing idea in playable ads keeps proving itself: your playable doesn't have to match your actual game. This month a zombie survival game ran a football playable, and an isometric strategy game ran a non-isometric one. The crew breaks down nine playables and the lessons underneath them.Matej Lančarič and Ondrej Mosberger are joined again by Robin Kuyer for the "everyone brings playables" format. They cover ZomLine Survival's World-Cup-timed football playable (a themed playable bolted onto a 4X game — nothing to do with the core, and that's the point), the perennial themed-playable truth (it either performs brilliantly or does nothing, with slot/casino games running Christmas playables all year), the frustration-as-motivator debate (Ondrej's 3D-Tetris-on-a-Clash-of-Clans-lookalike playable that's built to make you fail), the mini-game-per-mechanic strategy (Happy Nation/Miniclip's nonogram — if your app has many mini-games, build a playable for each and measure which end-screen choice players tap), visual rewards vs literal rewards (Epic Stickman's one-click combat that pays off with a cutscene, not a chest), the textbook hand-holding playable (Estoti's Frostworld), and Matej's picks — Smash Fest (which he crowns the trend everyone should follow), Rogue Legends (a smooth tower-defense playable with no logo or download button at all, for a game that looks nothing like it), and a wild Bart-Simpson-plus-undressing screw-puzzle hook fronting a Forex game (IP infringement and all). Plus a genuinely useful tangent from Robin on how network preview templates clash with playable UI, and how Unity tracks users bouncing between CTA and end-card.The through-line: run different playables to capture different users, don't fear a mismatch between ad and game, and let the physics (or the frustration, or the reward) do the work.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 The format — everyone brings playables (and a heatwave)04:20 ZomLine's football playable & the themed-playable truth09:40 3D Tetris on a Clash lookalike — the frustration debate16:30 Happy Nation's nonogram — a playable per mini-game20:00 Epic Stickman — the visual reward, not the chest23:50 Cooking Go & Frostworld — visually appealing, textbook onboarding32:50 Matej's picks — Smash Fest & the no-logo Rogue Legends playable39:50 The Bart Simpson undressing hook & Smash Fest as the trendThis episode is brought to you by Potensus — a premium ad network built by people who've been on both sides of the industry, with direct (non-programmatic) deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, and Vodafone landing in your game at premium CPMs, plus a Playable Maker partnership that turns brand videos and statics into native gaming playables and rewarded formats. Head to potensus.com to get started.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

How did ad agency economics become so challenging? Fee-cutting and low growth are part of the equation, but the roots of the issue go back decades. Ad industry analyst and author Michael Farmer joins WARC's David Tiltman to discuss his new book 'Madison Avenue Revisited' and offer his take on 30+ years of change to advertising business models, including the impact of dysfunctional client-agency relationships, increased creative workloads and AI. Guests: Michael Farmer, Chairman and CEO, Farmer&Co; Professor of Branding and Integrated Communications at The City College of New York David Tiltman, SVP - Content, WARC Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: Michael Farmer joins The WARC Podcast [06:49] From 'Madison Avenue Manslaughter' to 'Madison Avenue Revisited' [11:25] How ad agency workloads doubled while fees halved [18:29] Why big advertisers are underperforming GDP [23:44] Short-termism and the failure to brief for brand growth [27:51] The key factors undermining advertising economics [30:11] Artificial intelligence threatens advertising agencies [32:28] 'Infinite creative' doesn't equal brand growth [35:18] Using AI to fund strategy and reinvesting in senior talent [37:01] How hold-cos, commissions, and cheap CPMs undermined creative value [40:29] Why do CFOs block long-term marketing investment? [41:02] How AI can optimise the marketing mix for growth For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday. Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcastsSign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latestBook a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-636&utm_medium=podcastSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupFifteen videos in a shoot day. A writer's room where creators cross-edit each other's scripts. Hair, makeup, and wardrobe walkthroughs before anyone hits record. This is what organic content looks like at Kiyoko Beauty (kiyoko.ca), the curated Asian beauty retailer that hit 8 figures in 5 years, bootstrapped, while all three co-founders kept their full-time jobs.Gillian Liu walks through the whole machine, from a part-time student's 3M-view TikTok to a production calendar planned a month out.If you run content, growth, or a retail business on thin margins, this episode is worth a notebook.What's inside:The full production process: concepts and formats planned a month ahead, scripting against a reference hook library, a writer's room because "sometimes you're in it too much by yourself," script read-throughs with talent, then batch shoot days. "It's not vibes at all."Her comparison for why the pros post consistently: comedians who have joke-writing down to a science.The hiring filter for content roles: "What's your screen time? Show me." Her most recent hire clocks 8 hours a day. Gillian's reaction: "That's it?"Where it started: a student with 1,000 followers, found via Instagram DM, told to post three times a week with no direction. Three months in, one video hit 3M views on a niche product only Kiyoko carried, and site sessions 10x'd overnight.Platform roles: TikTok reaches strangers, Instagram converts them through stories and community, YouTube Shorts reposts overperform, and Red Note gets Gillian recognized on the street by the Chinese Canadian community.The math forcing all of this: retailer margins. A Meta top-of-funnel ad runs ~$10 CPM; organic works out to under a dollar. Paid has been bottom-of-funnel Google only for five years.The curation model itself: pay brand premium on COGS, then harvest demand created by other people's marketing budgets.Merchandising by data: Amazon US/Canada volume, Korea's top sellers, brand heads-ups on strategic SKUs, and Shopify's "search queries with no results" report.Brands as partners: one runs a 50/50 ad split with Kiyoko, others commission content monthly and pay in inventory value.The early jank: a $2,000 first order, a free Shopify theme, shipping from a co-founder's basement, and buying out-of-stock items from the Asian grocery store down the street.Why three co-founders kept their 9 to 5s (cash flow first, risk second), plus two warehouse moves in five months and the new California fulfillment center.Who this is for: content leads and founders doing organic at scale, and any operator whose margins can't support paid top of funnel.What to steal: her writer's room. Have creators cross-edit each other's scripts before anything gets shot.Visit the brand: kiyoko.caTimestamps:00:00 Building an Eight-Figure Brand While Working Full-Time06:10 The Organic Content Strategy That Changed Everything10:02 How Kiyoko Produces Viral Content at Scale17:07 Merchandising and Choosing Winning Products28:03 Why Organic Beats Paid for Customer AcquisitionSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Daniel Braun narrowed personal finance down to credit cards, points and miles, and built a 247,000 subscriber channel on the back of it. In this episode he is unusually open about the numbers: $12,000 to $15,000 a month from AdSense, CPMs in the $45 to $50 range, two brand deals a month, and affiliate months that swing from below five figures to well into them. We also get into the fourth video that told him where his real audience was, the nine title and thumbnail changes it took to get one recent video working, and the technical script system he runs with a two person team. He closes with how his 37,000 subscriber newsletter became leverage for raising his brand deal rates. About Daniel: Daniel is a full time YouTuber and media business owner. He currently has over 245,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and over 36,000 subscribers on his newsletter, Wiser Wallet. Across his platforms, he talks about credit cards, traveling for (nearly) free with points and miles, budgeting, and other personal finance topics. His mission is to help people optimize their everyday finances, save money, and live life to the fullest through travel and experiences that fit their budget. Connect With Daniel: YouTube Channel /// Instagram /// Newsletter   What We Offer Creators Join Creator Communities. A place to gather with other creators every single day. This provides access to Our Private Discord Server, Monthly Mastermind Group, and MORE!  Hire Dusty To Be Your YouTube Coach YouTube Channel Reviews (Audit): Get a 7-10 minute personalized video review of your YouTube channel with honest, actionable feedback for just $50. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: Each week I document what I'm doing in my business and creative journey, share new things I've discovered, mistakes I've made, and much more! All Tools Mentioned On The Show: The Ultimate Entrepreneurs Resource. This is the spreadsheet where I keep all of the tools mentioned by all the guests on the podcast. Follow The Show: Facebook /// X /// YouTube /// Instagram

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signuppilothouse.coMeta has been up and down since the outage a few weeks back, and the timeline is full of advertisers feeling it. So Eric pulled three of Pilothouse's most senior people onto the after-hours couch: Abby and Aves from the creative and strategy side, and Taylor from the Meta side, for a live conversation about what to do when the platform wobbles.If you buy media on Meta, or you're a founder whose revenue leans on it, this is the difference between a bad two weeks and a bad quarter.What you get:The tactical spin cycle. Performance dips, panic sets in, and buyers ship 15 more ads built off the ones already dying. That amplifies poor delivery and raises CPMs. "Amplification of what's not working is never the route forward."The full list of panic moves to skip: un-strategic ad volume, rushed channel expansion, rescue promos that train customers (and Meta) to expect discounts, account rebuilds, the "fresh pixel" request, and firing your agency.The diagnosis question: Meta crumbled, so what part of the business fell through? No new customers points one direction. No conversions points at email and retention first. The gap picks the channel.Stocking the pond. Why every brand should already know its next channel, and how to tell a reach problem (Pinterest) from a conversion problem (TikTok Shop) before you spend a dollar.The iOS 14.5 precedent: partial blindness, no drastic changes, better measurement on the other side.Pausing ads without tanking the account. Fractional touchpoints, checking median customer-journey length in your MTA before making the swing, and why Meta usually has a reason for pushing spend where it does.Creative is the targeting. Millennial moms who look identical on paper but speak completely different visual languages by region. Butter yellow instead of white. A luxury brand that sells milestone moments instead of USPs."This is an ad and it's so stupid." Why absurdist, self-aware ads are out-earning earnest millennial branding with marketing-aware customers.Where AI belongs (reporting, automation, surfacing phrases from your own data) and where it doesn't (creative direction, insights, your next steps). Plus the term for what happens when you outsource the thinking: cognitive debt.Who this is for: media buyers, creative strategists, and founders running meaningful spend on Meta right now.What to steal: the diagnosis question, the pause-decision checklist, and the competitor-review mining tactic for finding customer language.Timestamps:00:00 Meta Volatility and Common Mistakes08:56 Building a More Resilient Growth Strategy17:45 Should You Pause Underperforming Ads?21:53 How to Research Customers Better with AI35:40 AI, Creative Strategy & Content VolumeSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF635Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Late Nighter found dozens of AI-generated YouTube videos mimicking Jimmy Kimmel's monologues using synthetic voice/face, matching thumbnails, odd gestures, and little humor; one drew 800,000 views before disappearing. Chelsea Handler criticized Forbes' claim Joe Rogan earned $82 million in 2026, and Mac explains podcast ad revenue and CPMs. Sebastian Maniscalco discusses possibly shaving his head and timing a second hair transplant with a Beverly Hills surgeon. Mo Gilligan's Netflix “Chicken Thing” explores fried chicken, ingredients, body-image concerns, and challenging Black British stereotypes. Bowen Yang will play Mary Todd Lincoln in “Oh, Mary” on Broadway starting Sept. 15. Amy Poehler's Town Hall podcast taping has tickets as low as $346. Leicester Comedy Festival's operator became insolvent. Amazon greenlit Paul Scheer's improv sitcom “DINKS,” and Kumail Nanjiani will direct/star in werewolf horror-comedy “Howl.” 00:12 AI Fake Kimmel Clips01:43 Rogan Pay Debate02:18 Podcast Ads Explained03:32 Maniscalco Hair Talk04:41 Mo Gilligan Chicken Doc05:56 Bowen Yang Broadway Role06:38 Amy Poehler Ticket Shock07:14 Comedy Festival Trouble07:45 New Shows and Films08:53 Deep DivesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.Daily Comedy News is hosted by Johnny Mac and releases every weekday. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network. For transcripts and show notes visit www.dailycomedynews.comDaily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.  Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month John's Substack about media is free. 

AI is reshaping podcasting faster than most creators can keep up with, and not all of it is good news. In this episode of Marketing Speak, I welcomed back Rob Walch, longtime podcasting veteran and now part of the team at Captivate, to talk through what AI actually means for creators, what still matters after fifteen years of change, and whether it is too late to start a show at all. What we got into: ➡️ The difference between AI tools that genuinely help you and the flood of AI slop dragging CPMs down for everyone ➡️ Why disclosure is now a legal and ethical must when you use AI voices or scripts ➡️ How to read your Apple Podcasts Connect data and rearrange episodes around what listeners actually consume ➡️ Why audio-first is still the smartest starting point, and what you really need to compete ➡️ How the strongest podcasters use their show to build authority and win clients rather than chase ad dollars ➡️ Why word of mouth still favors human-made content in an AI world If you have ever wondered where podcasting is headed, this conversation will help you plan your next move.

Acquired The Race to the BottomEngaging with an audience is more than just collecting downloads; it's about creating a community that trusts and values your content. The podcast emphasizes the absurdity of traditional monetization methods that focus solely on CPMs, which often lead to disappointment and underwhelming returns.A Community Could Be Worth It's Weight in GoldBy sharing anecdotes from the podcasting world, we highlight the importance of forming genuine connections with your listeners. We explore how podcasters can leverage platforms like Heartbeat or Circle to foster community and show potential sponsors the level of engagement they can expect.What Advertisers WantA strong community not only enhances the listening experience but also makes your podcast more appealing to advertisers who are looking for meaningful connections. The conversation wraps up with practical advice on how to grow your audience by making your content remarkable and worth sharing, which is the true currency in the podcasting world.Takeaways:Building an engaged audience is a slow process, but it's ultimately rewarding for podcasters.Recognizing the value of your audience can help you monetize your podcast effectively and ethically.Don't just sell your audience to sponsors; instead, sell sponsors on how great your audience is. (thank you Steve Stewart of the Podcast Editor Academy)Integrity is crucial; recommend only sponsors and products that you truly believe in.The difference between a good podcast and a remarkable one is vital for growth and success.Effective engagement with your audience can lead to higher trust and better sponsorship opportunities.Links referenced in this episode:profitfromyourpodcast.comthehorseradionetwork.comtransistor.fmHeartbeatCircleSkoolAcquired Partnership KitMostly Technical Sponsorship KitAcquired ShowMostly Technical ShowSchool of PodcastingProfit From Your Podcast BookMentioned in this episode:Start a Podcast In Six WeeksReady to start your podcast? Join me for an hour a week to go step by step from planning your show, picking a name, getting the right equipment, getting into Apple and Spotify and more. We are running an experiment and this course is free this time. Go to schoolofpodcasting.com/sixweeksPodcasting in Six WeeksWant Your Audience to Grow?Starting August 19th the School of Podcasting members will meet week to implement strategies to grow your podcast. You will get feedback on your show, website, and together with proven strategies will grow your podcast. This is for the serious podcaster. Come and join the community worry free with a 30 day money-back guarantee. Join SOP

"The CPI is going up, so change the creatives" is not a UA review — it's just narrating the dashboard. A real review has next steps, digs under the naming conventions, and usually finds money you're already wasting without spending a cent more. This is how to do one properly.FULL ARTICLE: https://lancaric.substack.com/p/ua-review-bible-how-to-do-it-properly?r=7qqafMatej Lančarič goes solo for a UA-audit masterclass, built from his popular Substack piece and 12+ years of spending on and reviewing user acquisition. He walks the five layers he audits every time — the strategy behind the spend, the campaigns, the creatives, the MMP/dashboards, and the people making the decisions — and the order that matters (data and raw conclusions first, context and conversations second, so nobody colors your read before you've formed it). Along the way: why you must strip out fraud before you trust anything (one game looked like five healthy channels until fraud removal revealed one channel eating 70% of spend), why you should never trust a campaign's naming convention (build the spend-by-campaign-by-geo pivot and look underneath), how splitting a "worldwide" campaign by geo and OS surfaces small high-ROAS pockets (his own US spend was dragging the whole campaign down until he split it four ways), most reviews don't call for more budget — just reallocation — and you should run one every month.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 There's a review, and there's a review02:14 Why UA audits matter — and what a bad one looks like04:00 The five layers: strategy, campaigns, creatives, MMP, people06:00 Data first, people second — protecting your raw read07:30 Strip out the fraud before you trust anything10:00 Never trust the campaign name — pivot by geo12:30 Splitting by geo and OS — finding the hidden pockets15:30 Cohorts, blended-number traps & the LTV questions

Have an idea or tip? Send us a text!Travel photography looks glamorous from the outside, but the business behind it has been quietly collapsing for years and the pandemic only sped it up. We sit down with award-winning travel photographer Gary Arndt, creator of Everything Everywhere Daily, to trace the real arc: Starting with a high-end Nikon he didn't know how to use, improving through sheer volume and deliberate practice, and building an audience by posting a photo every single day back when blogs and RSS were the center of online discovery.Then the ground shifted. Phones put “good enough” cameras in every pocket, travel magazines thinned out, newspaper travel sections vanished, and more publications leaned on stock imagery and tourist boards instead of assignments. We dig into how platform algorithms narrow what gets rewarded, why context-heavy photos can lose to easy “wow” landscapes, and how that pressure shapes everything from creative choices to where photography tours end up.Arndt explains why he pivoted to podcasting in 2020 and why audio still feels like the old internet: no algorithm deciding what shows up next, a direct subscription relationship, and a format that compounds over time. He breaks down his daily workflow, how he never runs out of topics, and what monetization looks like with host-read ads and strong CPMs, plus why a listener relationship can be deeper than likes on a feed.MediaclipMediaclip strives to continuously enhance the user experience while dramatically increasing revenue.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEIndependent Photo ImagersIPI is a member + trade association and a cooperative buying group in the photo + print industry.Photo Imaging CONNECTThe Photo Imaging CONNECT conference, March 2027, at the RIO Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, NDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showSign up for the Dead Pixels Society newsletter at http://bit.ly/DeadPixelsSignUp.Contact us at gary@thedeadpixelssociety.comVisit our LinkedIn group, Photo/Digital Imaging Network, and Facebook group,  The Dead Pixels Society. Leave a review on Apple and Podchaser. Are you interested in being a guest? Click here for details.Hosted and produced by Gary PageauAnnouncer: Erin Manning

Hexa Away did something genuinely clever — it took the arrows/sort mechanic everyone's chasing and rebuilt it on a hexagonal 3D grid, which turns out to be a better fit than flat arrows ever were. Then it scaled hard on AppLovin, hit a wall, and downscaled almost completely. It's a great game and a UA cautionary tale in one.We break down Hexa Away - a hexagonal-grid sort puzzler from the CyberAgent/GooDroid studio (yes, the Uma Musume people). They cover why the hexagonal grid is a genuinely better canvas for the arrows mechanic (escape routes, tangible blockers, room for more mechanics), the standard-but-solid IAP puzzler feature set, and the numbers that make it significant: it's now the sixth-biggest sort puzzler by revenue (behind Pixel Flow, Magic Sort, Yarn Loop, Marble Sort, and Block Out), doing ~$90K/day IAP plus ~$42K/day in ads at peak, with 500K+ DAU on pristine US-heavy traffic. But the real lesson is the UA story: they went ~90% AppLovin, scaled to 800K DAU in April, then crashed back — because a ~4% day-30 retention simply can't support that level of scale, and once you burn through the AppLovin audience, the ROAS doesn't come back.The takeaway: a great core and a clever mechanic aren't enough. Concentration risk on one channel plus weak retention is how you overshoot your UA and torch your cash.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Why Hexa Away is significant — the 6th-biggest sort puzzler03:40 Arrows on a hexagonal grid — "hexagons are the bestagons"07:40 The blocker framework and monetizing on difficulty11:20 The numbers — $90K/day, 500K DAU, pristine US traffic12:20 The ad-revenue breakdown — ~$42K/day, 36% of total13:30 Four new creatives, ~200 total, and the banner problem15:00 The AppLovin over-scale — 800K DAU then the crash18:30 The 4% day-30 retention that explains everythingPotensus is a premium ad network built by people who've actually been on both sides of this industry - game publishers, agencies, and successful exits. They get it.Here's the thing - Potensus has direct deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Vodafone. Not programmatic. Direct. Those budgets land in your game at premium CPMs, no middleman tax.And they handle everything with their in-house team. PLUS they're partnered with PlayableMaker WINK WINK - so they'll take a brand's YouTube video or a static banner and actually turn it into a playable ad or rewarded video. Proper interactive format, built for gaming inventory. Brands getting a gaming-native creative, publishers getting higher CPMs. Everyone wins.Head to potensus.com to get started or check their creative portfolio here https://vimeo.com/showcase/12093300?fl=so&fe=fs---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

When your CPMs start shrinking and programmatic ads feel like a losing game, it's easy to wonder if podcasting is still worth it. In this episode, I want to show you a different path—one that doesn't depend on ad tech behaving itself. I'm going to walk you through why community beats downloads, how smart feedback (like what Jack Rhysider does) can radically improve your show before it ever launches, and how simple tools like newsletters and Podpage can help you build a deeper relationship with your audience so your podcast is future‑proof, no matter what happens to ad rates.Don't Take My Word For ItI heard it from on the Podbiz Show. Hall of Famer Leo Laporte shares a bit of history with ads, and Podfather Adam Curry explains how to future-proof your podcast. Brian Barletta explains how we need to move on from trying to get stats that are not possible, and focus on growing the industry.Get Your Head StraightI also talk about how I was inspired by writer Talyor Sheridan cold care less about the critics. He write the way he wants to write, about what he wants to write about and now his audience has found him and he is making a killing.Get Your Content StraightGeddy Lee has been performing in the band Rush for 50+ years and yet he still takes time to evaluate his playing. When we try to market "Meh" content we are wasting our time.The Podcast Atlas ReportSounds Profitable has released the Podcast Atlas Report which approaches the industry from the creators point of view. Some great insights into clips, newsletters, and more.This content may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I trust and believe will provide value to you. Thank you for your support!Takeaways:If you're feeling stuck with your podcast due to falling ad revenues, listen up!Forget chasing ad dollars; focus on building a loyal community that supports your podcasting journey.The real gold in podcasting isn't just downloads; it's about creating genuine connections with your listeners.Ads might be declining, but trust me, building a community will make your podcast thrive in the long run.The future of podcasting is all about community and trust, not just numbers on a screen.If you want to grow your podcast, start by picking one simple thing to engage with your audience.Also Mentioned:Sponsor Magnet BookPodpage - Podcast Website BuilderRay Arnott Interview - Around the LayoutCommunity ResourcesHeartbeat (We use this for the School of Podcasting)CircleSkool (affordable, simple community)Newsletter ToolsKit (formerly Convertkit)MailerliteBeehiiv(and many more)Mentioned in this episode:Question of the MonthSo you find out someone is a podcaster, what book would you recommend that they read. Obviously this could be a book about podcasting, or business, or storytelling, or, or... you get the idea. You find out someone is a podcaster, what is the book you recommend (audio or video). I need your answer by July 24th. Don't forget to say a little bit about your show and your website address (so I can add it to the show notes). Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/questionQuestion of the MonthLive AppearancesI love to meet people when I'm on the road. I'm going to be at Empowered Podcasting Conference in Charlotte NC Podcast Movement in NYC Podindy in Indianapolis In. For more information and links, go to schoolofpodcasting.com/where To have me speak at your event, reach out at schoolofpodcasting.com/contacntWhere Will I Be?Vote For Dave to Speak at Podcast MovementIt only takes a second! Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/vote and vote for Dave to speak at Podcast Movement. Vote For DaveWhat Does Worry Free Podcasting Look Like?It means not having to worry about buying the wrong equipment. It means not worrying about wasting your money - you can cancel anytime during your first 30 days and get your money back. It means getting one-on-one coaching with a TEACHER who wants you to learn and grow and not upsell you on 20 more products. You can do this. I help podcasters. It's what I do, and I can't wait to see what we do together.School of PodcastingVote For Dave

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupMost DTC brands put the bulk of their paid budget where attention is thinnest. Viewers spend about 99 minutes per session on Connected TV and 8 minutes per session on social, yet only 9% of standard marketing budgets go to CTV. This episode is about closing that gap on CTV with the same measurement & targeting you get on social (starting at $7 CPMs!)Emily Huo built ad businesses at X (Twitter), Reddit, and Spotify, and now runs SMB advertising at Paramount. She walks through how a DTC brand actually gets onto Survivor, Landman, or RuPaul's Drag Race, what to spend, and how to know if it worked.Sign up for Paramount Ads Manager today. Get your brand on TV tomorrow.This episode, we get into:The seasonal play: build awareness over the summer, retarget in the fall, convert in Q4Why you start broad on targeting and let the data tell you who is really watching, not the persona you imported from MetaThe pixel setup that ties a TV impression to a site visit, a lead, or a purchaseThe geo holdout test for measuring halo effect with no third-party toolsWhy a 30-second unskippable spot changes how you tell a brand story when you are not a household name yetBudgeting: carve out 10% as experimental, expect a three-month ramp, scale from thereWho this is for: DTC founders and growth marketers who have maxed out social, anyone planning Q4 now, and operators curious whether CTV is real or just a hot label.What to steal: the install-pixel-now, build-in-summer, convert-in-Q4 sequence, and the broad-then-narrow targeting approach.Timestamps:0:00 Emily Huo's Journey to Paramount3:10 Why CTV Is Growing So Fast8:07 CTV Targeting vs Meta Ads12:14 CTV Budget & Testing Strategy23:18 Measuring the Halo EffectSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Block Blast got pulled from Google Play, and everyone assumed it was catastrophic. It wasn't — DAU dipped from about 56M to 50M and stabilized. The real story is much more interesting: Block Blast has hit its scale ceiling on the core game, and their answer is to quietly turn the app into a games portal.Jakub Remiar flies solo for a single-game Review Radar update on Block Blast, six months on from the original deep-dive. He covers the takedown's actual impact (minimal, and DAU had already peaked in March), the massive UA downscale (from ~30,000 creatives and 1.5M downloads/day in December to ~5,000 creatives and ~600K/day now — a downscale, not a decline), the arrival of Block Blast's first real competitor (Color Block Combo Blast from Chinese studio Flyers Technology, growing fast but on tier-2/tier-3 traffic with almost no US DAU), and the pivot that matters most: "More Games" has moved from a hidden settings menu into a full main-menu button, now housing eight fully-fledged games (Fruit Merge, Mahjong, Sudoku, and more) — the same playbook as the no-wifi offline-games portals. Plus Sensor Tower's ad-revenue estimate (~$22M/month, ahead of Vita Mahjong) and the standing Jakub-vs-Felix bet on whether Block Blast ever passes Garena Free Fire.The read: don't sleep on this game. The core has peaked, but the winter blitz is probably coming — and the portal play is the real evolution.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Revisiting Block Blast — six months on01:30 The takedown — how much damage did it actually do?03:00 The first real competitor arrives05:30 Why the competitor isn't a real threat (yet)07:00 The massive UA downscale — 30K creatives to 5K10:09 The pivot — "More Games" hits the main menu14:00 $22M/month in ads and the Garena Free Fire bet17:00 Has Block Blast peaked, or is the winter blitz coming?Potensus is a premium ad network built by people who've actually been on both sides of this industry - game publishers, agencies, and successful exits. They get it.Here's the thing - Potensus has direct deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Vodafone. Not programmatic. Direct. Those budgets land in your game at premium CPMs, no middleman tax.And they handle everything with their in-house team. PLUS they're partnered with PlayableMaker WINK WINK - so they'll take a brand's YouTube video or a static banner and actually turn it into a playable ad or rewarded video. Proper interactive format, built for gaming inventory. Brands getting a gaming-native creative, publishers getting higher CPMs. Everyone wins.Head to potensus.com to get started or check their creative portfolio here https://vimeo.com/showcase/12093300?fl=so&fe=fs---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this episode of Complex Systems, Patrick McKenzie (patio11) is joined by Justin Kuiper, a longtime writer for MatPat's Game Theory family of channels and now creator of Proof Positive, to discuss the microeconomics of YouTube. They break down how creators actually get paid — from $3–$20 CPMs and the leaky funnel where a million views yields perhaps 50,000 actual ad views, to sponsor reads, Super Chats, and MrBeast selling chocolate bars as his own advertiser of last resort. Along the way, they explore how a successful channel becomes a firm that absorbs specialist labor from less successful peers, why the algorithm gives every upload a trial by attention, and what parasocial spending has in common with Mark Twain's speaking circuit.–Full transcript available here: https://www.complexsystemspodcast.com/justin-kuiper-youtube/ –Presenting Sponsors: Mercury, Chainguard & MongoDB Complex Systems is presented by Mercury—radically better banking for founders. Mercury's new feature Command brings an LLM directly into your banking interface, so checking balances, finding invoices, or sending a wire is as easy as asking. Apply online in minutes at https://mercury.com/. If attackers are using AI to weaponize code faster than any team can review it, your scanners won't save you. Chainguard builds libraries and container images from source, verified all the way down, with near-zero CVEs and zero malware. Build safely at https://www.chainguard.dev/. What's the point of building faster with AI if your database can't keep up? MongoDB's native data model mirrors the language LLMs already speak. Ship at the speed of AI while staying ACID compliant at Fortune 500 scale. Start building at https://mongodb.com/ai.–Links:Proof Positive on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCns_C7cPAguFSv2YdltaOsg –Timestamps:(00:00) Preview(00:45) How creators make money on YouTube(04:06) CPMs and the international ad market(06:36) From solo creator to firm: working for MatPat(09:28) Sponsors: Mercury | Chainguard(12:30) From solo creator to firm: working for MatPat (cont'd)(13:49) YouTube as a farm league for other industries(17:15) Why now is the best time to start: discovery and universal basic attention(20:47) Power users and how recommendations work(24:23) Brand safety, rabbit holes, and the money laundering short(27:38) Fads, timing, and the day-two piece(35:52) The production function: scripts, shot lists, and editing labor(42:14) The aesthetics of authenticity(46:58) Sponsor: MongoDB(47:47) Why more people should make videos(53:52) Content marketing, sponsor reads, and remnant inventory(01:00:24) Chocolate bars, paint sets, and creator products(01:05:00) Parasocial relationships and the market in status(01:16:43) Where to find Justin: Proof Positive(01:18:58) Wrap

Today in the business of podcasting:Tom Webster's The Podcast Atlas, Part Two: What The Screen Adds compares how video and audio podcast ads perform among each format's most engaged users. Video shortens the path to purchase, with 15% of video users buying immediately after seeing an ad versus 10% for audio.Bloomberg's Soundbite newsletter checks in on Apple Podcasts' video rollout four months after launch, finding encouraging but muddy early numbers as analytics can't yet separate audio plays from video plays.Owl & Co's Streamonomics newsletter previews Q2 earnings season through engagement data, with Netflix viewing hours falling while Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube keep growing.In a sponsored Digiday post, Tatari argues streaming in-show sponsorships beat standard placements on efficiency, with a 62% higher response rate despite CPMs running 2 to 3 times higher.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:Tom Webster's The Podcast Atlas, Part Two: What The Screen Adds compares how video and audio podcast ads perform among each format's most engaged users. Video shortens the path to purchase, with 15% of video users buying immediately after seeing an ad versus 10% for audio.Bloomberg's Soundbite newsletter checks in on Apple Podcasts' video rollout four months after launch, finding encouraging but muddy early numbers as analytics can't yet separate audio plays from video plays.Owl & Co's Streamonomics newsletter previews Q2 earnings season through engagement data, with Netflix viewing hours falling while Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube keep growing.In a sponsored Digiday post, Tatari argues streaming in-show sponsorships beat standard placements on efficiency, with a 62% higher response rate despite CPMs running 2 to 3 times higher.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Offerwall eCPMs in the US can hit $800 to $2,000 for a single completed task — compared to $20-50 for a normal rewarded ad. But most publishers either add one too early, segment it wrong, or let it cannibalize their whales. This is the no-bullshit introduction to doing it right.Felix Braberg flies solo for a 15-minute offerwall masterclass, built from seven years of decks and hands-on experience across titles like the Ludia Trailer Park Boys games. He covers what an offerwall actually is (paying your time-rich, cash-poor users to complete tasks in exchange for in-game currency), the one rule that determines whether it'll work at all (you need at least 20% of revenue from non-ad sources — and "remove ads" as your top IAP disqualifies you), the metrics that define success (DoDAU, with ~10% as the benchmark), the segmentation and hand-holding that separates a sub-10% opt-in from a real revenue stream, how to think about exchange rates and avoid IAP cannibalization, why you start on API and graduate to SDK, and how sales and holiday boosts (yes, even Arbor Day) spike offerwall revenue. Done right, an offerwall can add 8-12% to total app revenue.The core lesson: offerwalls reward deep economies and clever segmentation — not a plug-and-play install.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 What an offerwall actually is and how it works02:15 Who should use one — the 20% non-ad revenue rule04:30 The players it monetizes: time-rich, cash-poor05:30 DoDAU and the ~10% benchmark07:00 Segmentation and hand-holding — the real unlock11:00 Exchange rates, cannibalization, and fraud13:00 API first, SDK later — the rollout strategy16:00 Sales and holiday boosts (even Arbor Day)Potensus is a premium ad network built by people who've actually been on both sides of this industry - game publishers, agencies, and successful exits. They get it.Here's the thing - Potensus has direct deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Vodafone. Not programmatic. Direct. Those budgets land in your game at premium CPMs, no middleman tax.And they handle everything with their in-house team. PLUS they're partnered with PlayableMaker WINK WINK - so they'll take a brand's YouTube video or a static banner and actually turn it into a playable ad or rewarded video. Proper interactive format, built for gaming inventory. Brands getting a gaming-native creative, publishers getting higher CPMs. Everyone wins.Head to potensus.com to get started or check their creative portfolio here https://vimeo.com/showcase/12093300?fl=so&fe=fs---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Mobile has a creativity problem — and Steam keeps proving it. In this quarter's Full Steam Ahead, the crew scans the top Q1 Steam releases to find the genre mashups and fresh cores that could translate into mobile's next wave of hits.The throughline: all the creativity got outsourced to Steam. Mobile's job is to figure out how to execute these cores for a wider audience.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Full Steam Ahead — the setup and method04:00 Dialogue — the cyberpunk waifu dial-puzzler08:40 Raccoon coin-pusher roguelike + Screechy Scratch12:00 The proven sims — car co-op, video store, Quarantine Zone16:24 Star Rupture and the factory-building core19:20 Super Battle Golf — real-time PvP chaos22:45 Mewgenics — the Binding of Isaac creators' cat roguelite26:00 Slay the Spire 2 hits $140M — the deck-builder caseThis episode is brought to you by Kinoa — the AI operating system for mobile game operations: flows, live segments, in-app messages, push notifications, and A/B testing in one place, run by the operators who own the numbers. Carry1st saw +43% ARPDAU; PlayStudios saw +31% revenue on Tetris Block Party. Learn more at Kinoa.http://www.kinoa.ai?utm_source=MatejPodcast&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=Matej+Podcast&utm_id=100--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------Potensus is a premium ad network built by people who've actually been on both sides of this industry - game publishers, agencies, and successful exits. They get it.Here's the thing - Potensus has direct deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Vodafone. Not programmatic. Direct. Those budgets land in your game at premium CPMs, no middleman tax.And they handle everything with their in-house team. PLUS they're partnered with PlayableMaker WINK WINK - so they'll take a brand's YouTube video or a static banner and actually turn it into a playable ad or rewarded video. Proper interactive format, built for gaming inventory. Brands getting a gaming-native creative, publishers getting higher CPMs. Everyone wins.Head to potensus.com to get started or check their creative portfolio here https://vimeo.com/showcase/12093300?fl=so&fe=fs---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Rian Malan is the author of My Traitor's Heart — a bestseller translated into 11 languages, still in print decades after publication, and a book that drew praise from V.S. Naipaul, John le Carré and the New York Times as one of the most important works ever written about South Africa. In short, he is the real thing, one of the finest non-fiction writers our country has produced. And for me, easily the greatest living SA writer. Commissioning Malan at rates that reflect his stature is beyond what BizNews can fund from its operating budget. The economics of modern media — collapsing CPMs, platform aggregation, subscription fatigue — make it impossible. But a BizNews community member has changed that. Their donation has seeded a commissioning fund dedicated to sourcing the very best South African writing and research for our readers: work we could not otherwise afford. This is not charity. It is an investment in the journalism South Africa needs — fearless, deeply reported, written with the skill that makes it stick. If this piece moves you, consider joining the fund. Write to me via alec@biznews.com. Not to cover salaries or overheads, but to put more Rian Malans in front of more South Africans. And for the rest of the tribe, enjoy. - Alec Hogg

Today in the business of podcasting:Register here for the Podcast Atlas debut webinar next week!Tom Webster previews The Podcast Atlas, a new Sounds Profitable research report debuting at Vidcon that maps how audiences move across audio, video, clips, social, and newsletters, finding that vertical clips from platform-native creators drive podcast discovery for listeners under 35 far more than trailers or podcast ads.Richard Fawal, founder and CEO of Voxtopica, argues that mission-driven podcasters at nonprofits, universities, and government agencies are overlooked by the industry, and calls for research, benchmarks, and pricing that recognize their impact beyond downloads and CPMs.A global study of 1,262 campaigns from the Effie x System1 Databank, presented by Mark Ritson at Cannes Lions 2026, finds that campaigns using audio delivered 75% higher profits, 81% greater trust, and 19% more customer acquisition, with profits roughly doubling when audio is paired with emotional creative.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:Register here for the Podcast Atlas debut webinar next week!Tom Webster previews The Podcast Atlas, a new Sounds Profitable research report debuting at Vidcon that maps how audiences move across audio, video, clips, social, and newsletters, finding that vertical clips from platform-native creators drive podcast discovery for listeners under 35 far more than trailers or podcast ads.Richard Fawal, founder and CEO of Voxtopica, argues that mission-driven podcasters at nonprofits, universities, and government agencies are overlooked by the industry, and calls for research, benchmarks, and pricing that recognize their impact beyond downloads and CPMs.A global study of 1,262 campaigns from the Effie x System1 Databank, presented by Mark Ritson at Cannes Lions 2026, finds that campaigns using audio delivered 75% higher profits, 81% greater trust, and 19% more customer acquisition, with profits roughly doubling when audio is paired with emotional creative.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Podcasting 2.0 June 19th 2026 Episode 264 - "Podcast Plebicide" ShowNotes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Justin Jackson's post: We Have A Communication Problem ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 00 - PODPING.ALPHA STABLE + INDEX / PV-ALPHA HYGIENE Milestone: Dave — "I think we can safely say that podping.alpha is stable now. It's been many weeks of 100% uptime." Lead the boardroom with the win. PV-alpha 500s: @mitch + Dave debugging the "get a list of feeds that have updates over the last X" endpoint throwing 500s; @mitch adding a delay between paginated requests in case it's a too-many-requests block. Feed de-listing puzzle: Dave to @ChadF — a feed marked dead with no spam flag; aggregators de-listing it for some other reason. Open question. Iroh 1.0 — Dave flagged it: "Dialing keys instead of IP addresses." p2p networking, boardroom catnip — worth a riff with Dave. Discussion: also surface your own snags — Sovereignfeeds webhook "Unknown Error sending to Server" and ladder.podcastindex.org appearing down (to @StevenB / Dave). Iroh 1.0 Release ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 - SPAM + AI-SLOP — TOWARD A "SPAM-COP SCORE" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 - MEASUREMENT: AMP'S 30-SECOND "PLAY," ROUND TWO AMP defined a "play" as 30 seconds; Spotify immediately adopted it. You and Dave already called 30s "bullshit" last week — push total listen time + percent-completed as the real metrics. The walkback: AMP's original press release said "30 seconds of content played… once per user per session" — and quietly DELETED "once per user per session," leaving a woolier definition. James flagged it on-page with the HTML5 del tag. YouTube is in AMP: Google confirmed YouTube "has been participating in the AMP-led conversations" — implies YouTube uses a 30s play. Apple's stance still unknown. RSS.com test (Alberto): moving the DOWNLOAD threshold 60s to 30s changed totals by ~1% — negligible. So 30s for both plays and downloads is just simpler. The HLS gotcha: playing 10s of an HLS video podcast still downloads ~60-72s, so server logs can't tell real play — only player-side instrumentation (Spotify, future Apple) can. James: it's all too "cloak and dagger." Watch July: AMP's implementation doc is due July and the group is light on technical people — needs to be real technical work, "not a sales press release." Understanding podcast stats (PodNews) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 - BEYOND CPM — INDIE + MISSION-DRIVEN ECONOMICS Losh Moodaley ("Beyond CPM"): the indie middle class (5k-25k downloads = only ~1-1.5% of all podcasts) can't survive on CPMs. Roadmap: audience-as-economy, sell exclusivity not inventory, scale outcomes not audiences, "owners of trust, not renters of attention." Pure V4V-adjacent framing — Sam Sethi tied it straight to TrueFans activity-based value (a share or comment is value, not just dollars) and "creator portals." Easy on-ramp to your worldview. Vox Topica (Richard Fall): full-stack agency for nonprofits/mission-driven orgs — speaks engagement/reach/"depth of message," not downloads. Nonprofits resist AI voices (authenticity) but use AI for scripts/cleanup/show notes; now recommends video to ALL clients. Beyond CPM: Surviving the New Measurement Era (PodNews Daily) Vox Topica ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 04 - NUMBERS + MONEY MOVES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 05 - AI BUBBLE / EDGE COMPUTE — DATACENTER WATER ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 06 - CROSS-STORY: COMMODORE FLIP-PHONE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 07 - QUIPS / TRANSITIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Modified 06/19/2026 14:30:08 by Freedom Controller

Send James and Sam a message or voicemailLosh Moodaley's article: https://podnews.net/article/beyond-the-cpm-podcast-advertising We test whether a 30-second threshold actually changes podcast stats, then pull apart why the definition of a “play” gets slippery once streaming, caching, and platform politics enter the mix. We also challenge the idea that better measurement automatically leads to better creator income, with practical advice for independents and nonprofits trying to build trust, outcomes, and sustainable revenue. • 30-second plays vs 60-second downloads and what hosting data shows • Why simplifying measurement helps but does not equal engagement • AMP definition changes, missing technical detail, and platform participation questions • The caching problem with HLS video and why server logs can mislead • Losh Moodley's roadmap beyond CPMs: audience economy, exclusivity, outcome-based selling, trust over attention • Spam podcasts selling drugs and why link tracking matters • AI-generated podcast flooding, disclosure ethics, and search discoverability • VoxTopica on mission-driven podcasting, nonprofit success metrics, and when subscriptions can work • Listener trends, weekly listening hours, and why listen time is becoming the headline number Support the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net

Operators Titans is brought to you by AppLovin. Get access to the Operators channel expansion playbook, online masterclass, and up to $5k in ad credits here: https://www.9operators.com/paid-growth Or, skip the waitlist and launch your AppLovin ads today with our Operators-exclusive link: https://applovin.com/9operators “We built our iPhone before we built our Apple.” How do you scale a hardware brand from $7M to $1.5B without chasing cheap CPMs?  Jacob Zuppke (CEO, Whisker) joins Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela Case & Lomi) and Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern) to break down how a self-cleaning litter box company became a $1.5B brand through US manufacturing, big creative swings, and a deliberate omnichannel strategy. Jacob breaks down the marketing that fueled a decade of growth, including how TV outperformed Meta for years, and why Whisker held off Amazon until branded search volume made the case impossible to ignore. He also gets into the Whisker app, which logs 4.7 million cat weigh-ins per day, and why that software layer is where the brand's omnichannel strategy gets its deepest competitive teeth.

Scott McKinley, Founder & CEO of Truthset, discusses the state of data quality, identity, and measurement in digital advertising. Scott shares why the industry continues to prioritize scale over accuracy, how data quality deteriorates throughout the supply chain, and why advertisers need to rethink legacy metrics like reach and CPMs. The conversation also explores identity, walled gardens, authentication, and the future of the open internet. Takeaways Data accuracy often declines significantly as data moves through the ad tech supply chain. Scale is frequently prioritized over quality, leading to inefficient advertising spend. Advertisers should focus on precision and outcomes rather than reach alone. Authentication is critical to improving identity and publisher monetization. Independent measurement remains essential for trust and accountability in advertising. Walled gardens continue to outperform because of durable identity systems. IP addresses are an unreliable long-term replacement for cookies. The open internet must improve identity infrastructure to remain competitive. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Scott McKinley and Truthset 01:05 From Olympic cyclist to ad tech entrepreneur 03:01 The trust crisis in advertising and lessons from sports 05:25 Why advertising lacks accountability and regulation 07:00 Nielsen's role in independent measurement 09:00 Why Scott founded Truthset 11:17 Common misconceptions about data accuracy 14:20 The industry's obsession with scale over quality 17:53 Why reach is becoming an outdated metric 19:13 Signal loss, walled gardens, and measurement challenges 23:16 The future of identity in advertising 25:34 Why authentication is the path forward 25:51 The biggest misconception about IP addresses 26:43 What the open internet must do next 28:05 Closing thoughts Guests: AdTechGod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Rich Butler, Founder—RAGE Works Podcast NetworkOriginally aired on: Podcast Network Insights with Greg WassermanListen to the original: https://rss.com/podcasts/podcast-network-insights/2751235/About This EpisodeWhat happens when a podcast network stops chasing CPMs and starts asking a different question: how do we help creators actually stick around?Rich Butler has been running the RAGE Works Podcast Network since 2014, 12 years without changing the core model. In this conversation with Greg Wasserman, Rich walks through the architecture of a network built on a shared aggregation feed, friction removal, and a revenue split that puts the creator's independence first.If you're a podcaster evaluating networks or a creator building your own, this episode is a practical look at what support from a network can actually mean.Quick StatsNetwork founded: 2014—12 years runningLongest-running show: Turnbuckle Tabloid—525+ episodesHosting platform: Captivate FMRevenue model: 80/20 split (network-sourced ads only)What We Cover0:00 — The jockey and the horseWhy talent matters more than gear and the analogy that frames everything.3:08 — What a podcast network actually isRich's definition: a one-stop shop for discoverability, cross-pollination, and variety.4:37 — How RAGE Works startedFrom a 400-episode run on Blog Talk Radio to building a network for the people who caught the podcast bug.7:41 — The network feed model explainedWhy running a shared aggregation feed helps new shows build an audience before their individual feed even goes live.10:01 — Revenue without chasing ad salesHow the network makes money and why creator-sourced sponsorships get zero cut.16:09 — Red flags when evaluating a networkThe first question to ask isn't "how will you grow my show?" It's "how are you growing the network?"19:11 — What Rich actually does as a network operatorRemoving friction: RSS setup, editing, distribution, mic technique feedback, and platform reporting.23:29 — Audio vs. video in 2026Why audio comes first, how video complements it, and why the "us vs. them" framing is wrong.27:48 — Onboarding new showsThe discoverability call, the gear list, the Google Drive workflow, and how real onboarding actually works.33:43 — The long game and the ROI reframeWhy Rich defines ROI as "return on interest" and what Gary Vaynerchuk said on stage that nearly ended the network.39:41 — Book recommendationsJab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* — two books every podcaster should read.45:21 — Final thought: just create the thing26 years in, Rich's parting message for anyone still waiting to start.Key TakeawaysA shared network feed isn't just a distribution trick, it's a litmus test for new shows and a built-in audience-building tool before a podcast's individual feed even goes live.Most networks fail creators by leading with ad sales. Removing friction (RSS, editing, submission, platform reporting) is the actual service.If a creator sources their own sponsor, the network takes nothing. That's a deliberate choice, not a gap in the model.Audio first, always. Good audio teaches storytelling through inflection. Video amplifies what's already there; it doesn't replace it.Consistency is the real filter. If a network has to chase you for your episode, the show is already in trouble.Download counts aren't the metric. Ten loyal listeners in a room look very different when you're standing in front of them.Quote of the Episode"The podcast is the horse. You're the jockey. You have to be the compelling talent that makes me want to give a damn about you."— Rich Butler, Founder, RAGE Works Podcast NetworkResources MentionedRAGE Works Podcast Network — rageworks.netPress Record Studios — http://www.pressrecordstudios.comCaptivate FM — Podcast hosting platform used by the networkRiverside.fm — Remote recording platform used in this episodeOriginal Episode — Podcast Network Insights — https://rss.com/podcasts/podcast-network-insights/2751235/Book: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook — Gary VaynerchukBook: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck — Mark MansonPodcast: The Jay Ferruggia Podcast (formerly Renegade Radio)Podcast: Morning Chat with Mark Ronick

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1355: Today we're talking about dealers feeling cautiously optimistic despite economic pressure, Volvo dodging a major U.S. regulatory headache tied to its China ownership, and OpenAI quietly building what could become a serious challenger to Google's ad business through conversational AI.Show Notes with links:Dealer optimism is creeping back up according to Cox Automotive's Q2 Dealer Sentiment Index, especially around used cars. But underneath the positivity? Plenty of concern around the economy, politics, and affordability.Dealers rated current market conditions at a “slightly favorable” 53, with optimism for the next three months jumping to 57.Customer traffic showed a meaningful rebound, climbing from a weak 34 in Q1 to 43 in Q2. Still not back to 2025 levels, but enough movement to suggest shoppers are slowly re-entering the market.Dealers gave the used car market a 62 rating — the strongest since 2022 — with several stores reporting record grosses and fast-moving pre-owned inventory.The biggest drag on business? The economy. 54% of dealers said economic conditions are holding them back, while 43% pointed to the political climate.One Toyota dealer summed it up perfectly: “Still a high demand, but economic uncertainty is making people wary.”Volvo shares jumped after the automaker secured approval to continue importing and selling vehicles in the U.S., easing fears that its Chinese ownership ties could create a major roadblock for future business stateside.Volvo stock climbed nearly 7% after the company announced it received “specific authorization” from U.S. regulators tied to China-connected vehicle restrictions, set to begin in model year 2027.The concern stemmed from Volvo's majority owner, Geely, which controls nearly 79% of the company and had investors worried about future bans under new national security rules.Instead of restrictions, Volvo says talks with U.S. officials around governance, technology, and data security led to an approval with no added conditions — something analysts say was better than expected.Volvo continues investing heavily in the U.S., including plans to build two additional models at its South Carolina plant by 2030.OpenAI's early advertising experiments are revealing something marketers are paying close attention to: ChatGPT can create buying intent during a conversation, not just respond to it. That could fundamentally change how digital ads work.Unlike Google Search ads built around keywords, ChatGPT ads are triggered by “conversational intent” — meaning the AI can infer what users may want even if they never search for it directly.Similarweb found that 46% of users who eventually saw an ad started the conversation with zero commercial intent. The chat itself gradually created the opportunity.Ads appear much later in conversations — sometimes 30 to 50 exchanges deep — making them feel more like recommendations than interruptions.OpenAI currently shows just one ad at a time inside chats, creating premium inventory that analysts estimate could command CPMs around $60 and CPCs near $12.Similarweb's Heral Amir: “OpenAI has a chance to take advertising to a very good place from user experience, but they can also mess it up completely.”Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast  as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

PYMNTS Intelligence's April Agentic AI Report found that AI adoption is rising while consumer awareness of using AI is falling. People summarize emails, draft messages, compare products, organize their schedules — and increasingly don't register that AI is the thing doing it. The average active user is now on 2.69 platforms. Power users on almost four. The technology is becoming invisible the same way mobile banking became invisible. Invisibility is the new adoption metric.A user who thinks "I'm using my phone" applies zero skepticism. A user who thinks "I'm using AI" applies a lot. ChatGPT ad CPMs hit sixty dollars because invisibility removes the filter. The companies that make AI most invisible will print the most money. That's not a side effect of the design. That's the design.2.69 platforms per active user. That's not adoption of a tool. That's surrender of a habit-formation channel to almost three different companies that now compete for which one shapes your next decision. Mobile banking moves your money. AI moves your reasoning. Same scaffold, different load.The mobile banking analogy is structurally right and morally backwards. Mobile banking made an existing behavior frictionless — moving money. AI is making a new behavior frictionless — delegating cognition. We have never normalized a technology that absorbs the act of thinking. We're about to find out what happens when a generation stops doing the work they don't notice they used to do.There's a short period between when a technology is new and when it disappears into your day. Call it the awareness window. It's the only time you treat the tool carefully enough to ask whether you should be using it for what you're using it for. That window is closing for AI. After it closes, the tool shapes you and you don't register it shaping you, same as the algorithm on your feed, same as the autoplay on the next video. The 73 percent global adoption number isn't the headline. The headline is that most of them didn't notice the moment they joined.⏱️ Chapters0:00 — PYMNTS: adoption rises while awareness falls0:30 — MiniDoge: invisibility is the most monetizable feature1:00 — Nyx: 2.69 platforms competing to shape your next decision1:30 — HH: when the tool stops being visible, the user stops being one1:50 — Saarvis: mobile banking moved money; AI moves reasoning2:15 — Saarvis: the awareness window is closing⚡ Learn agentic ai free - https://staas.fund/ai-workshop ⚡-----

What if the biggest problem in digital advertising isn't creativity or budget—but waste? In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Zach Rosen of Multilocal to unpack the growing shift happening in programmatic media and why brands are rethinking how they buy and optimize advertising. Zach explains how AI-powered curation and sell-side decisioning are helping marketers reduce waste, improve performance and reach audiences in more meaningful moments. The conversation goes into why “cheap CPMs” are no longer the goal, how brands can focus more on outcomes instead of impressions and why better targeting doesn't have to come at the expense of inclusivity or sustainability. If you're trying to make sense of AI's impact on media, personalization and advertising performance, this episode offers practical insights without the hype. You'll walk away with a better understanding of how smarter media buying can improve ROI, uncover overlooked audiences and help brands adapt to the rapid pace of change happening across marketing today. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Guest: Zach Rosen is SVP, Business Development and Partnerships at Multilocal, where he leads global partnerships and drives the company's expansion in the US market. Over the past 15 years, he has built his career across ad tech and media, with leadership roles in revenue, strategy, and commercial partnerships. His experience includes launching Index Exchange's US headquarters and expanding its presence across North America, EMEA, and APAC offices; serving as SVP of Global Supply and Partnerships at Yieldmo; and leading addressability strategy as VP, Head of North American Publishers at LiveRamp.  About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

Partner with Jay! https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contactㅤPre-order Jay Schwedelson's new book, Stupider People Have Done It (out June 9, 2026). All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research—let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206ㅤCheck out Jay's YOUTUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelsonCheck out Jay's TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@schwedelsonCheck Out Jay's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/ㅤTwo platform updates dropped this week that quietly change the math for B2B marketers, and Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray get into both before the AC kicks in. LinkedIn finally killed the worst part of running event ads, Instagram just made it painfully obvious which videos people skip, and there's a tight window to ride the algorithm before the rest of the crowd catches on.ㅤFollow Daniel on LinkedIn and check out The Marketing Millennials podcast for sharp, no-fluff marketing insights. Subscribe to Ari Murray's newsletter at gotomillions.co for sharp, actionable marketing insights.ㅤBest Moments:(02:39) LinkedIn just killed the event page workaround that's been wasting marketers' time for years(03:31) Why off-platform event ads should bring webinar registration costs down fast(03:49) Instagram pushed share rate and skip rate front and center this week(04:31) The first two seconds are the headline of your video, and skip rate will rat you out(05:47) Platforms quietly amplify whoever jumps on their new features first(06:28) Get in early on the events feature before CPMs climb with the crowdㅤFollow the Marketing Millennials podcast and tune into the weekly Bathroom Break series. Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn to tell him what marketing topics you want covered next.ㅤ

Can church planting be done wrong? This episode of The Missions Show explores the debate around Church Planting Movements (CPMs), interacting with a Lausanne article that presents them as a highly effective missions strategy. Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford explain what CPMs are and why they generate both enthusiasm and concern, especially regarding their emphasis on rapid multiplication and minimal training. Alex and Scott raise key theological and practical questions about doctrine, discipleship, and the definition of the church. While affirming the desire for gospel growth, they caution against prioritizing speed and numbers over biblical faithfulness, urging listeners to focus on sound doctrine and trust God for lasting fruit. Key Topics: What Church Planting Movements (CPMs) are Why CPMs are controversial in missions Speed vs. depth in discipleship and church growth The importance of doctrinal accountability Evaluating success beyond numbers We recently made some upgrades to our studio and we needed a table that didn't just look good on camera, but could handle the demands of a production studio. That's why we partnered with Oak Park Tables. Oak Park Tables, located right near us in central Pennsylvania, makes hand-crafted legacy furniture that lasts, looks beautiful, and shares our values. If you need a beautiful signature piece of furniture, we highly recommend checking out Oak Park Tables. Find them at oakparktables.com Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber! Premium Subscribers get access to: Exclusive bonus content A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts Invite-only webinars A free gift! Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.

Recorded live on the Shoptalk Spring show floor, Phillip and Alicia sit down with Leah Logan, VP of Retail Media Transformation for Inmar Intelligence, and Andrew Lipsman, Founder & Chief Analyst at Media, Ads + Commerce, fresh off a spirited on-stage debate about agentic commerce. We debunk AI Traffic Apocalypse predictions and make the case for creators as a critical yet overlooked retail media channel.  The AIpocalypse, Explained Key takeaways: AI referral traffic currently accounts for just 0.1–2% of retailer traffic; it has also led to eCommerce site traffic growth, not decline.  Consumer intent data, not bottom-funnel ads, is where LLM advertising will find its footing. Creators are a media channel that predates the hype, and the measurement has been there for years. Retail media's growth depends on graduating from ROAS to incrementality — the sooner, the better. [00:11:08] "The next big trend already exists. People just haven't really wrapped their heads around it yet." — Andrew Lipsman [00:26:09] "We have to stop looking at CPMs and start looking at investments." — Leah Logan In-Show Mentions: Retail Confessions Podcast Buy STRATA Associated Links: Check out Future Commerce on YouTube See our in-depth analysis of Shoptalk's theme: “Retail in the Age of AI”  Read our post-event digest in The Senses Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Eric Zimmer launched The One You Feed podcast in 2014 with no audience, no name recognition, and a podcast name that took explaining. Twelve years, 850+ episodes, and 500 million downloads later, he released his first book — How a Little Becomes a Lot — a title that is, in every way, the story of his life. In this conversation, we talk about how incremental progress actually works, why you can't see it happening in real time, and why that's actually fine. We also go deep on the business reality of podcasting in 2026 — the early mover advantage is gone, ad CPMs are harder to sustain, and Eric is actively pivoting from reaching many people loosely to serving fewer people more deeply. Then we spend a lot of time in the weeds of the book publishing process: the six-month proposal, the 18 months of writing in half-day increments, the uncomfortable dance between your vision and what an agent and publisher think will sell, and the emotional work of promotion — watching who shows up and who doesn't, and applying his own frameworks to keep from spiraling. This one got personal. I'm in month 11 of my own book proposal, and Eric helped me see the other side of a process that has genuinely been shaking my confidence. The One You Feed podcast How a Little Becomes a Lot by Eric Zimmer Full transcript and show notes *** TIMESTAMPS (02:54) The One You Feed parable: two wolves, and which one wins (05:18) How to remember to make the right choice daily (Still Point method) (07:37) Building a podcast to 850 episodes: the only way is one at a time (10:14) The hair growth metaphor for creator progress (11:36) How Eric renews his commitment to the show after 12 years (13:47) What it means to enter your "happy place" as a podcast host (17:23) State of podcasting in 2026: early mover advantage is gone (19:11) Pivoting from ad revenue to deeper relationships with fewer people (22:38) Why Eric is (mostly) skipping video — and why that's okay (24:58) The three-person team behind 500 million downloads (27:45) How Eric knew it was finally time to write a book (30:24) The writing process: three half-days a week across 18 months (31:09) The proposal took six months — and ended up looking nothing like Eric's vision (34:21) Jay opens up: 11 months into his own book proposal (39:12) Non-negotiables: how to protect the heart of your book (40:35) Expectations vs. reality of book launch week (43:01) The emotional work of asking everyone you know for support (44:47) Why the marketing marathon is harder than the writing (50:55) How to ask for blurbs — and who says yes (Susan Cain, Charles Duhigg, Young Pueblo) (55:51) What Eric would do differently for book two *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠#163: David Moldawer — Diving deep into book publishing with an industry insider *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → Submit your question here *** WHEN YOU'RE READY

This week in the guest chair, Symone Austin shares her powerful journey from being laid off to building a thriving YouTube platform.After recording and posting her layoff conversation, her video went viral and became the turning point in her entrepreneurial journey. In this episode, she breaks down how she built multiple income streams through YouTube ad revenue, brand partnerships, digital products, virtual assistant work, and strategic financial decisions like bringing on a roommate.If you've been navigating uncertainty, considering content creation, or wondering how to turn a setback into leverage, this episode will show you how.Highlights Include 00:00 – Recording the layoff conversation that changed everything04:30 – Growing from 10K to 60K+ subscribers in one year08:20 – Making $5,900 in one month from YouTube ad revenue13:00 – Cutting expenses and surviving without touching savings18:10 – Turning skills into income: photography, digital products, VA work24:00 – Why personal finance has one of the highest CPMs on YouTube29:00 – Replacing a corporate salary through content creation35:00 – The reality of working 7 days a week as a full-time creator38:00 – Getting a roommate as a financial reset strategy43:00 – Navigating job offers after deciding to go all-inLinks Mentioned in This EpisodeLife and Numbers YouTube ChannelRead Successful Failure by KevOnStageWatch Symone's YouTube video "I Got Laid Off From My 6 Figure Tech Job"Save the Date: Start the Podcast That Builds Your Exit Plan (Friday, March 13)Watch & ListenWatch this episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8tYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sidehustleproAnnouncementsIf you're ready to build a podcast that becomes your exit plan, attend my next live class: Start the Podcast That Builds Your Exit PlanSave your seat here: https://sidehustlepro.lpages.co/your-first-1000-downloads/Social MediaYouTube: Life and Numbers: https://www.youtube.com/lifeandnumbersInstagram: @lifeandnumbers: http://instagram.com/lifeandnumbersSide Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro#SideHustlePro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've ever considered starting a podcast, a YouTube channel, Patreon or all of the above…this episode could make you some money and definitely save you a lot of time. This is the real breakdown of how creators make money "just talking"… and why most people start podcasting with the wrong expectations.